Technical Field
Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein relate to a fuel system for an engine.
Discussion of Art
Vehicles, such as rail vehicles, include power sources, such as reciprocating internal combustion diesel engines. In some vehicles, fuel is provided to the diesel engine by a common rail fuel system. One type of common rail fuel system comprises a low-pressure fuel pump in fluid communication with a high-pressure fuel pump, and a fuel rail in fluid communication with the high-pressure fuel pump and further in fluid communication with at least one fuel injector fitted in to at least one engine cylinder. The high-pressure fuel pump pressurizes fuel for delivery to the fuel injector through the fuel rail. Fuel travels through the fuel rail to at least one fuel injector, and ultimately to at least one engine cylinder of the power source such as an engine where fuel is combusted to provide power to the vehicle.
In order to reduce the likelihood of engine degradation and/or consequential engine damage caused by pump deterioration, the fuel system may be monitored for changes (increase/decrease) in fuel injection quantity with reference to pre-set/commanded fuel quantity, fuel leaks, degraded components, and/or other issues. For example, fuel flow reductions upstream of the fuel rail may be caused by a degraded inlet metering valve (IMV) or by a degraded high-pressure fuel pump (HPFP), but typically or by default the inlet metering valve is identified as the degraded component. When the flow reduction is instead caused by the high-pressure fuel pump, time and money may be wasted replacing the inlet metering valve and/or engine performance may continue to degrade, leading to vehicle operator frustration, increased maintenance costs, stranded vehicles, and customer (such as a rail road company or a marine transport company) dissatisfaction.